Santa Clarita, CA Landscaping Rules: Artificial Turf (2026)
Key Facts
- Protected acts
- Low-water plants and artificial turf
- Association limit
- Rules must 'fully conform' with §4735(a)
- Drought fine ban
- No fines during declared emergencies
- Exception
- Owners with unused recycled water access
- Statute
- Civil Code § 4735
Summary
State law voids any Santa Clarita homeowners association rule that bans or effectively blocks low water-using plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars an association from fining an owner for cutting back lawn watering during a state or locally declared drought emergency, under Civil Code § 4735.
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a provision of the governing documents or architectural or landscaping guidelines or policies shall be void and unenforceable if it does any of the following: (1) Prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water-using plants as a group or as a replacement of existing turf. (2) Prohibits, or includes conditions that have the effect of prohibiting, the use of artificial turf or any other synthetic surface that resembles grass. ... (b) This section shall not prohibit an association from applying landscaping rules established in the governing documents, to the extent the rules fully conform with subdivision (a). (c) ...an association shall not impose a fine or assessment against an owner...for reducing or eliminating the watering of vegetation or lawns during any period for which... (e) An owner...upon which water-efficient landscaping measures have been installed in response to a declaration of a state of emergency described in subdivision (c) shall not be required to reverse or remove the water-efficient landscaping measures upon the conclusion of the state of emergency.
Full Breakdown
030, or with a state or local water-use restriction adopted under Water Code § 353 or § 375. Subsection (b) preserves the association's ability to apply its own landscaping rules, but only to the extent those rules 'fully conform' with the (a) protections, meaning an HOA can still set aesthetic standards like turf color or maintenance but cannot use them to functionally ban the turf itself. Subsections (c) through (e) add drought-specific protections: an association cannot fine or assess an owner for reducing or eliminating lawn watering during a Governor-declared state of emergency (Government Code § 8558(b)) or a local government's declared emergency (§ 8558(c)), unless the owner already receives recycled water from a retail supplier and simply fails to use it for irrigation; and once installed in response to a declared emergency, water-efficient landscaping never has to be torn out again after the emergency ends.
Because § 4735 is a state statute, it overrides any conflicting CC&R or architectural-guideline language in every Santa Clarita HOA, condominium, or planned development regardless of when the governing documents were recorded.
Violations & Fines
A Santa Clarita HOA that enforces a void turf-replacement or artificial-turf ban, or that fines an owner for cutting lawn watering during a declared drought emergency, is violating Civil Code § 4735 directly; the offending governing-document provision is unenforceable as a matter of law, and an owner can raise the statute as a defense to any HOA fine, hearing, or assessment, or seek relief through the association's internal dispute process and, if unresolved, civil litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my Santa Clarita HOA still require certain turf colors or brands?
Can the HOA fine me for letting my lawn go brown?
Do I have to restore my lawn after the drought ends?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clarita
How Santa Clarita compares: Most Artificial Turf-Friendly Cities·California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clarita to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Artificial Turf in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle artificial turf.